Clothes-pounder.



FREDERICK L. GUENTHER, OF ATHENS, OHIO.

oLoTHEs-PoUNDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 12, 1908.

Application led May 18, 1907. Serial No. 374,325.

T all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that l, FREDERICK L. GUEN- THER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Athens, in the county of Athens and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Clothes-Founders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to washing devices of that type in which the clothes or fabrics are washed by a pounder element or in other words by an element that is worked up and down so as to produce currents of air through the washing fluid to cause the suds to thoroughly act on the fabrics.

The invention has for one of its objects to improve and simplify the construction and operation of devices of this class so as to be comparatively easy andinexpensive to manu facture, thoroughly effective and reliable in the pounding element.

use and convenient to manipulate.

A further object of the invention is the pro vision of a washingl device having means for causing air to be forced through the washing fluid so as to enable the suds to have a better effect on the clothes being washed.

Vith these objects in view and others as will appear as the description proceeds, the invention comprises the various nevel features of construction and arrangement of parts which will be more fully described hereinafter and set forth with particularity in the claims appended hereto.

ln the accompanying drawing which illustrates one of the embodiments of the invention, Figure 1 is a central vertical section of Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the valve.

Similar reference characters are employed to designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. l

Referring to the drawing, 1 designates the funnel like body of the device which maybe made of galvanized sheet iron, copper or the like and formed with a bead 2 for still'ening the lower large end thereof and with an internal groove 3 for receiving the horizontal conical shaped diaphragm 4. Extending axially of the body is a tubular air conducting duct 5 that has an enlarged cylindrical upper end 6 passing out of the smaller end of the body 1 and curled or flanged at 7 over the outside of the body thereby holding the u pper end of the air conducting tube in fixed position. panded at 8 into a mouth that fits in an opendownward direction.

The lower end of the tube 5 is ex ing 9 in the diaphragm 4, the diaphragm thus cooperating with the body 1 to hold the tube rigidly in place. The tube 5 has an upper and a lower set of openings 1() and 11 that communicate with the chamber formed above the diaphragm 4 whereby air is delivered to the said chamber, and arranged in the diaphragm and located in a circle are openings 12 through which the air passes out of the chamber 13 to the bottom side of the diaphragm, there being an annular deflector A14 for directing the air downwardly from the openings 12 as well as from the air tube 5. In the tube is a partition 5 between the openings 10 and 11.

Snugly fitted into the upper enlarged end 6 of the tube 5 is a hollow socket member 15 for the reception of the lower end of a stick whereby the device is actuated. The lower end of the member 15 is cylindrical and extends into the enlargement 6 to a distance so much short ol the annular bevel or shoulder 1G so that between the shoulder and bottom 17 of the member 15 is confined a bodily movable disk valve 18, there being a port 19 in the bottom 17. The valve 18 has peripheral scallops 2() as clearly shown in Fig. 3 for permitting air to pass by' the valve in a The member 15 has an annular bead 2l that rests on the flange 7 of the air tube 5 and in the frusto conical portion 22 are air inlet openings 23.

.ln practice, the device is provided with. a stick that is inserted in the upper tapering portion of the member 1.5 and avertical reciprocating motion is imparted to the device by means of this handle either manually or mechanically as desired. As the device is moved downwardly thc air contained in the chamber 13 and spaced below the diaphragm becomes compressed and under expansion will aerate the washing fluid and cause the suds to pass through the fabrics being washed. On the downstroke the valve 1S will automatically seat against the bottom 17 of the member 15 so as to prevent the escape of air from the chamber 13. When the device is raised the valve 1S will drop to the shoulder 16 and permit air to be indrawn through the openings 23. This air passes down through the cylinderical portion of the member 15,` port 19 and through the ports 20 of the valve, and openings 10 to the chamber 13, thence out of the chamber through openings ]1 and 12. Then upon the succeeding downstroke the valve will immediately close by continued reciprocation of the device the clothes can be cleaned rapidly and effectively.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with theaccompanying drawing the advantages of the construction and of the method of operation will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which theinvention appertains and while I have described a principle of operation of the invention to-l gether with the device which I now consider I to be the best embodiment thereof I desire to have it understood that the device shown is merely illustrative and that such changes may be made when desired as are within the scope of the claims.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new is y l. In a device of the class described, the combination of a hollow body, a diaphragm therein having apertures, a deflector on the bottom side of the diaphragm and surrounding the apertures, an air conducting tube arranged in the body and passingy through the i diaphragm and provided with openings communicating with the space above the diaphragm, said tube having air inlet openings, and a valve for controlling the passage of air through the tube, said valve being arranged to control communication between the tube and hollow of the body above the diaphragm.

.2. In a device of the class described, the combination of an inverted funnelshaped body, a diaphragm therein having apertures, a del'lector on the bottom side of the dia-V phragm, a hollow member extending into the body for receiving an operating handle and provided with air inlet ports, an air duct arranged within the body, and a valve bodily movable in the duct and held in position by the member, said valve being arranged to controlA communication between the tube and hollow ofthe body above the diaphragm.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination of an inverted funnel shaped 887,626 Y Y ci i l body, a diaphragm therein bulged dowrru wardly and provided with apertures, there being a chamber above the diaphragm, an air conducting tube secured at its upper end on the body and on the diaphragm at its' lower end and having openingscornmunicating with the chamber above the dlaphragm, a shoulder on the tube, a hollow member eX- tending into the tube and having a ported opening disposed adjacent the shoulder4 to forma valveV seat, a valve disposed between the seat and shoulder, ports for admitting air to the said member, and a deflector on thev bottom side of the diaphragm for directing the air from the chamber above the latter in a downward direction.

4. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of an inverted conical body,

a diaphragnimounted therein', there being a chamber above the diaphragm, a centralvertical air conducting tube having a cylindrical enlargement at its upper end and rigidly secured to the body and a conical enlargement at its lower end fitted in an opening in the dia-Y phragm, there being openings in lthe tubel communicating with the chamber above the diaphragm and also an annular shoulder'at the lower'end of the cylindrical enlargement, a member fitted into thecylindrical enlargement and provided with a ported bottom forming a valve seat and having a socket for receiving an operating handle, air inlet ports in the said member, a bodily movablevdisll valve disposed between the shoulder and said seatfor controlling the passage of air through the tube, and an annular del'lector on the' bottom side of the diaphragm for directing the air downwardly from the chamber above the diaphragm. f

' In testimony whereof, I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses,

i FREDERICK IJ. GENTHER.,

, vI/Vitnesses:

JOHN M. Cox, l ANDREW J. DAvIEs.V 

